One size won’t fit all

It's no surprise that Susan Levin of the deceptively named Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) would try to gather vegan recruits. (Re: "Go vegan in 21 days," Jan. 6)

PCRM is a radical animal rights organization, not a mainstream health group. Sixty percent of its income comes from a single wealthy animal rights activist, while less than four percent of its members graduated from medical school.

Eliminating meat and other animal products can reduce our intake of key nutrients. Last spring, a study published in the journal Pediatrics found that a vegan diet can increase women's risk of delivering a child with birth defects. This is because of a lack of vitamin B12, a nutrient found in meat, milk, and eggs.

Given that PCRM's president has called cheese "dairy crack" and the group has run ads insinuating that eating meat is "tantamount to suicide," we should take this group's advice with a grain of salt. There's no one-size-fits-all diet. Eating meat, veggies, and other foods in moderation is the smart way to go.